Lupin's return meant that the mischievous mascots had all been controlled, and other adult wizards gradually returned to their tents.
Arthur Weasley followed Lupin inside and, seeing that his sons and daughters were unharmed, couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank heavens, you're all okay, otherwise how would I explain it to your mother?"
"Dad, did you catch the wizard who cursed the mascots?" Ron asked.
"No, we haven't. In fact, we still haven't figured out who did it!" Mr. Weasley said.
"Where are Bill and Charlie?" Ginny stood on tiptoe to look behind them, then asked.
"Bill is injured, and Charlie is looking after him."
Mr. Weasley beckoned and said, "Come on, we should go back, grab a few hours of sleep, and then get a Portkey early in the morning to head home."
The Weasley kids quickly got up and followed their father out. As they were about to leave, George leaned close to Vid, blinked and said:
"Don't worry, we've all discussed it. None of us will say anything about your cabinet."
The others all made a vow gesture, and Vid nodded with a smile.
In fact, after he visited Mr. Flamel, who knows how Nicolas Flamel contacted the Ministry of Magic, but Vid's cabinet, which was enchanted with The Undetectable Extension Charm "for the purpose of alchemy research" was now registered with the magical ministries of various countries.
So even if people found out about the wardrobe space, it wasn't illegal.
Of course, the Ministry's staff had no idea how large Vid's cabinet was. Perhaps they understood it as nothing more than a small storage compartment.
Subsequently, other people's elders also came over one after another, taking their kids back. The adults had tense and tired expressions, had no time for small talk, and left silently after a greeting.
Finally, only Lupin, Vid, Harry, and Hermione remained.
Before going to bed, Harry asked, "When will Sirius be back?"
"I don't know, maybe he found the traces of a Dark Wizard and went after them?"
Lupin had a bit of worry between his brows, saying gently, "He hasn't contacted me yet. As soon as I hear from him, I'll let you know immediately."
Sirius was often like this. Harry couldn't help but sigh for this worrisome godfather and said, "Remus, you should rest early too."
"Alright." Lupin smiled, watching the children head to their rooms.
That night, even though everyone was exhausted, few could truly fall asleep.
Vid lay on the bed, fully dressed, turned over, and still could hear faint crying from somewhere.
Not everyone had the chance for a peaceful sleep. The violent leprechauns and veelas were incredibly fierce, ultimately causing some people to lose loved ones.
The Ministry of Magic didn't have enough Portkeys on short notice, and wizards capable and authorized to make Portkeys were few. The priority was to get the wounded to the hospital.
Thus, those with minor injuries, the terrified, and some of the deceased's family members could only temporarily stay in this nightmarish camp, arranged to rest by the Ministry of Magic.
The intermittent crying made Vid's head buzz.
He turned several times, assuming others were probably asleep, then got out of bed to pour himself a Butterbeer but hesitated for a long time before opting for a can of coffee instead.
He drank the coffee while stepping outside the tent, to the place where he'd chatted with Bill before, looking up at the sky, where a few dim stars hid between the clouds.
"Hoo—hoo—hoo—"
The owls' deep, slow hoots came from afar, with no other animal responses, making it sound particularly bleak and lonely.
As if answering a call, a profound, indescribable melancholy welled up, gnawing inch by inch at one's heart, bringing coldness.
Vid thought of this night in the original story... couldn't recall if anyone was killed, but there shouldn't have been; the most striking memory was the Dark Mark ascending into the sky.
But now...
While Vid was brooding, something flashed in front of him, causing him some concern.
Calming himself, he looked at the weedy ground, and a moment later, a squirrel poked its head out from the grass, its round eyes looking tentatively at Vid, ears perked forward, with a pair of small paws tucked against its chest.
Vid: "..."
He rubbed his eyes and looked again, finding that the squirrel had already daringly approached him, its bushy tail up high, its expression serious, making a series of sharp "squeak" sounds.
Vid slowly blinked, with only one thought—should he pretend not to know who it was and seize the chance to... tease it?
Giving it to Harry as a pet... would be quite fun...
As morality and the desire for mischief tugged at Vid's heart, the squirrel in front of him abandoned trying to communicate with "squeaks," and bent down to write a line in the dirt with its small paw:
[I'm Sirius Black, turned into this form. Take me to see Dumbledore.]
Vid: "..."
He regretted for a moment, then reached out and picked up the squirrel, looking into its black eyes and asked, "You're really Sirius?"
The squirrel nodded seriously, its big tail swaying behind.
"Got it, I'll find Dumbledore now."
Vid said as he casually placed the squirrel on his shoulder, then plugged the Communication Pea into his ear: "Connect me to Albus Dumbledore."
A moment later, he heard the sound indicating the communication had connected.
...
"Bang!"
"Look at what your Ireland Team's mascots did! Is this a performance or attempted murder?"
"Everyone adored them back at home, and they were fine during the game. The reason they went berserk must be that someone tampered with our lovely mascots!"
"Exactly! It's the British Ministry of Magic's security negligence that led to this incident! You must provide us with an explanation!"
"Our British mascots didn't go berserk and attack the audience!"
"Yeah, because they weren't even qualified to participate in the contest!"
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, we shouldn't be assigning blame right now. What we need to discuss is how to resolve this issue and find out which wizard cursed the mascots."
"In my career, I've never encountered such a thing! We lost twelve veelas! Do you realize what a massive loss that is?"
Vid hadn't even approached the grand and luxurious tent when he heard the heated arguments inside.
Dumbledore stepped briskly out of the tent, his face showing both helplessness and exhaustion.